Sushi Bazooka lets amateurs roll their own

Making your own sushi is a lot like rolling your own cigarettes: it’s a skill that’s hard to master, so most people are content to leave it in the hands of professionals. Both are often pre-packaged and available in stores, but as is the case with most things, it’s also cheaper to roll them yourself. Just as a pack of cigarettes costs more than the papers and tobacco combined, and sushi costs far more at a restaurant than if you buy all the ingredients and make it at home. The only problem is that DIY sushi is easier said than done.

Rolling sushi the traditional way with a bamboo mat is notoriously difficult, and so over the years product designers have come up with an array of different gadgets to help simplify the process. Nearly all of these contraptions are variations on the same design, and look remarkably similar to cigarette rollers. The Sushi Bazooka, however, offers a different approach that has some unique benefits.

Rather than having you make your dinner in an oversized joint roller, the Sushi Bazooka aims to make the process as simple as possible. With this design, all you need to do is open up the Bazooka’s cylinder, stuff it full of rice, fish, and veggies, and close it up. After that, you place a cap on the end, and use the plunger to compress the roll. Once that’s done, just take the cap off and use the plunger to push it all out the end like a glorious seafood caulk gun.

Sure, it might not look so appetizing while it’s coming out of the tube, but that’s not half as bad as taking the time to craft a hand-rolled masterpiece that disintegrates when you try to cut it. Once it’s in that tight cylindrical shape, all that’s left to do is wrap it in nori — seaweed paper. It appears that the compression part of the process is key, and serves to make your DIY sushi more stable — and more likely to hold up when you come at it with that kitchen knife you’ve been meaning to sharpen.

Despite being featured in a hilarious infomercial with three Japanese sushi chefs who swear they use it, the Sushi Bazooka was actually designed by a New Zealand company that specializes in kitchen gadgets. It’s actually been around for a few years, and has since been rebranded as the “Sushezi”, which was probably a good idea. If you’re anything like us, heard the name “Sushi Bazooka” and immediately imagined a shoulder-fired seafood gun that can launch California rolls into your mouth from 100 yards away. We’ll let you know when we get a working prototype of that type of sushi bazooka built, but until then, you can find the original kitchen contraption online for between $17 and $25 dollars.